When the Accused are More Valuable than Their Accusers

As I’ve bitched about before, anyone who makes Hollywood piles of cash can get away with very bad things and not be destroyed like their victims, who are more likely to be crucified in the press along with anyone cray-cray enough to support them.

Just look at Dylan Farrow, the brave woman who, despite her alleged abuser’s power and fame, made the difficult decision to speak out. And when her words hit the interwebs, cause the gatekeepers seemed to think they were unworthy of the printed page (as opposed to her alleged abuser’s, who was invited to rebuke her claims), she was called “liar” and “fame-whore” and “jealous” and all those other not-nice words flung at those courageous enough to tell their stories.

This seems especially true when the alleged perpetrator is all rich and famous and a super well connected criminal celebrity. Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby and this month’s alleged creeper Woody Allen all have one very big nasty in common: they’ve all been accused of committing sexual assaults but have not been found guilty (unlike one Victor Salva who was convicted of recording the sexual abuse he committed against the twelve year old star of 1988’s so-bad-it’s-awesome horror film Clownhouse, Nathan Forrest Winters, and was sentences to three years in prison, fifteen months of which he actually served before being welcomed back in Hollywood before the 90s were half over), while their accusers are cast as untrustworthy fame seekers who only want their fifteen minutes and undeserved money.

Because crying rape is a super easy and effective way of getting rich and famous. Wait. Um.

Coming Forward. Again.

Way back when, Dylan told her mother, actress Mia Farrow, that Woody Allen had touched her in ways that any sane person would see as gross and wrong and molesty. After a garbled mess of stuff, which I’m not going into here but you can see for yourself, Dylan was left without closure and Woody Allen was free, even though serious doubts about his innocence remained. Now, if you’re wondering why the plug was pulled, just ask Dylan’s brother, Ronan Farrow:

My mother and the prosecutor decided not to subject my sister to more years of mayhem. In a rare step, the prosecutor announced publicly that he had “probable cause” to prosecute Allen, and attributed the decision not to do so to “the fragility of the child victim.”

Keep in mind that Dylan was a child when this all went down, and her mother simply wanted to do what she felt was best for her. Was it the right choice? Tough to say, as the accused was a successful director even then, and that battle would’ve been uphill. The pressure placed on her and her family would’ve increased exponentially, and that’s tough for even a grown folk to deal with. Now imagine being seven.

Fast forward to 2014, and Dylan wrote a piece for The New York Times’ blog. Yea, it didn’t even get the ink and paper treatment. That’s how serious people seem to take these accusations. Since she released her story anew into the world, there’ve been lots of opinions thrown about, including (at least) one that, for reasons I don’t get, all but call Mia Farrow a whore. Yes, let’s not only call Dylan a liar but distract people by claiming her mother slept around. Which, even if it’s true, isn’t a crime. So stuff it.

What Dylan did was brave. Think about it. She lives in a world where accusers are treated worse than the accused.

Blame the victim is a favorite pastime, more so when the accused has a rabid fan base that feels the incredible need to keep them out of the pokey. Of course, it’s not just fans that do this; Jill Scott had to read Cosby’s own incriminating words before she withdrew her support. Guess not even a woman will believe a woman (or 30) when it comes to things like being a sports fan or rape victim.

Hollywood’s Blind Eye

While Dylan and her family were cast as the villains of this piece, Woody Allen continued making movies and banging his wife – who also happens to be Dylan’s older adopted sister. Yeah, he’s a real stand-up dude, but that’s not proof in any way of his abuse of Dylan…I just like reminding people what a creeper he is.

Even his uber-creepiness hasn’t kept Hollywood from telling him to fuck off. The biggest and brightest stars still line up to star in his (boring) flicks because Woody Fucking Allen still means a thing. When asked why they’d work with/for Roman Polanski’s director bro, the answer is often “well, I don’t know what really happened in that dark attic, so why should he be punished for something he wasn’t convicted of?”

To that I say… true. While I believe Woody Allen is guilty sin, I also know that we have an entire justice system that, while not always correct in its decisions, was created as it is for a reason. He was never convicted of molesting Dylan so, yes, he is free to do his thing. But how can you fall all over him when you actually read about what we have knowledge of?

In the least, it’s incredibly suspicious and definitely red-flaggish. Maybe just consider that the accuser is not full of shit or coached or mentally deranged enough to think sensational trials are a good time? A person can be “innocent until proven guilty” even when the accuser isn’t considered a dirty liar by those who simply can’t believe something so horrible could possibly happen. But, because he was never properly tried and all that, evidence was never presented and he was allowed to continue on living – and trashing his ex-girlfriend’s name – while she still (seems) to suffer. How can that be ignored?

Doubt may not place him behind bars but it could stop otherwise intelligent individuals from making him more rich and famous and beloved. If only those with the money could see beyond their own bank accounts.

Untouched Until Proven Raped

As we’ve seen with Jackson and Cosby (and even convicted child molester and child porn creator Victor Salva (I ain’t forgot about you, motherf**ker), Hollywood doesn’t care what you do; if you make ‘em money, they’ll ignore the sick shit you do. Hell, they’ll even defend you. But if you’re on the other side, those defenses are tougher to come by.

The word of an alleged victim is worth less than the powerful accused. That needs to change.

In places not Hollywood where crimes not sexual, the alleged victims are given more sympathy and support; you don’t see murder victims being accused of wanting it or deserving it so why aren’t sexual crime victims, in and out of La La Land, afforded the same? Even with Dylan, Mia and recently Ronan speaking out about what Woody Allen allegedly did, there are oh so many out there screaming that they’re all a pack of liars and that Mia, in her vindictiveness, tainted her children in the worst ways and brainwashed them into believing a real life horror story. I’m not sure which is worse; claiming she’s full of shit or ignoring the claims and acting like nothing wrong (might’ve) happened.

As you can probably tell, I think he did it. I’d like to see him get his comeuppance, but we’re way past that being possible; I doubt the statute of limitations extends into the now and, sadly, Dylan will never get the justice she deserves. And, as if that wasn’t fucked up enough, she is forced to watch as his career continues to flourish.

But that could change, he could feel something for what he did (allegedly), if only those actors and producers would finally say “no” and not make yet another one of his films. It wouldn’t put him where he belongs, but it would show Dylan, and others in her position, that there are those who listen and believe, and would rather side with the victim even when the accused is as powerful as Woody Allen.

photos courtesy of pixabay

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Comments

When it comes to sexual crimes, Hollywood is not alone in its desire to blame the victim. Out here, where Brandon Vandenburg grew up, our local news highlights the rape accusations against him in light of his “football hero” status. The girl is less than dirt, even though he filmed her gang rape. Complaining about the reporters doing the coverage doesn’t seem to help. When you’ve been sexually assaulted, you are treated as dirty or broken. It’s a wonder anyone ever files a report. Still, breaking silence is the only way to heal, and in some cases pushing forward with a trial can move towards that goal. I think every victim, at every age, heals in a unique way. Dylan Farrow is, in my opinion, beyond brave to have come forward twice, and spoken her truth.